Carrier



Nov. 24, 1942.

W. B. CRANE CARRIER Filed April 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 24, 1942.w. B. CRANE CARRIER Filed April 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov.24, 1942 v Walton B. Crane, West Los Angeles, Calm, as-

signorto Morris Paper Mills, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois rApplication April 17, 1939, Serial No. 268,198

9 Claims. (01. 229-21) This invention relates to a new and improvedAnother important object of this invention isthe provision of aconvenient carrying handle as an integral part of the bottle carton,which comprises a number of layers or thicknesses of the material of thecarton, therefore providing assurance against the possible breaking ortearing of the handle.

A still further important object of the device of this invention is toprovide a carrier for bottles having closed ends which securely hold thebottles in desired position at the ends of the carton as well asgripping the bottles at their sides.

Another and still further important object of this invention is theprovision of bottle cartons which lend themselves readily to shipment orstorage and also exhibit a major portion of all the bottles positionedtherein when on display for sales purposes or the like.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the disclosure in the accompanying drawings and followingspecification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is shown in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described. v

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank for making a carrier embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a sideview of a completed carrier made from said blank andshown in collapsed or folded condition;

for making a carrier made up from the blank of Fig. 7, the

bottles being omitted;

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially on line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 isa section taken substantially on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9. Y

As shown in the drawings: 7

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6' inclusivecomprises a blank made of flexible cardboard or the like cut in the formshown in Fig. 1 and centrally scored for folding along a transverse lineH' to provide a pair of side walls l2 for a bottle receptacle.Registering handholes H are formed at the tops of the side walls l2 byslotting out flaps l4 therefrom fover the openings I 3.

are provided as shown to permit of the folding of the handle parts intohorizontal position as around their lower and side edges and foldingsaid flaps upwardly and inwardly as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to cleartheopenings l3. This provides a handle having a gripping portion formed bythe four thicknesses of the material Scored lines l5 and i6 indicated bythe dotted lines in Fig. 5 so that a number of the carriers, containingthe bottles, may be readily stacked in packages.

Each side wall I2 is provided at each of its opposite side marginswithan end flap H which has an abutment flap l8 foldable along theoblique scored line is. As shown, the end flaps II are adapted andarranged to be folded inwardly onto the side walls to bring thecorresponding abutment flaps l8 into surface engagement with each otherwhen the blank is folded upon itself along line H, and said abutmentflaps are then secured together .by means of staples '20, as best shownin Fig. 2. The endflaps ll i'orm strong end walls for the carrier andconstitute load-carrying members as well as separators and retainingmeans for bottles carried in it. Each side wall is provided with anirregular shaped bottle receiving opening havin an outwardly flexiblelower edge 2| and three upwardly extending recesses 22 at its top, thesecuring staples 20 being driven into place through these openings asshown in Fig. 2.

Each side wall I2 is conjoined at its bottom margin with a bottom wallportion 23 foldable along the scored line 24 and provided with anopening 25. Each bottom wall portion 23 is provided at its inner edgewith a partition flap 2B foldable along thescored line 21 as indicated.In making up the carrier the flaps 28 are folded 1 inwardly onto thebottom portions and are secured together by means of staples 28 driveninto place through the openings 25 as best shown in Fig. 2. 'x

The carrier thus produced is made up in collapsed or folded form asshown inFlgs. 2 and 3 in which condition it may be stacked with othersfor shipment and storage. To set up the carrier for use in carryingbottles, the bottom wall portions 23 are swung upwardly and inwardly onlines 24, thereby forcing the lower portions of the side walls l2outwardly and forcing the partition walls 25 upwardly, thus forming awedge shaped, receptacle having two compartments separated by thepartition walls 28 and connected fiaps l8 and with the portions 23forming a bottom on which the carrier may sit in upright position asbest shown in Fig. 5. Then the bottles 29 are inserted bottoms firstdownwardly through the openings in the side walls, the outer sides ofthe bottles contacting and pressing outwardly the lower edge portions 2|below the openings and the inner sides of the necks of the bottlescontacting and pressing inwardly the portions which define the edges ofthe recesses 2-2, as shown in Fig. 5, whereby said bottles will benicely and firmly held in the carrier in two rows separated asindicated. In this way a bottle carrier is provided which permits of theremoval or replacement of any one or more of the bottles withoutinvolving displacement of any of the adjacent bottles or the parts ofthe carrier itself. The end walls of the carrier are of strong anddurable construction and afford adequate protection to and retention ofthe contained bottles and constitute load carrying members connectingthe side wall portions which are below the bottle receiving openings,with the side wall portions which are above said openings. By virtue ofthe construction, extensive portions of the botles are displayed foridentification and other purposes and a. number. of'the filled carrierscan be stacked in pyramid and compact form for effective display. Thesecarriers can be manufactured from comparatively light weight stock andstill have adequate strength for the purpose and after return to thebottler may again be collapsed to fiat form to permit storage in smallspace until again required for use. Such carriers are capable ofeconomical production in quantities and highly efficient in use, and dueto the fact that the width of the side walls and the length and thewidth of the It permits any bottle to be removed without disturbing anyothers or without involving any unfolding of the carrier itself, andafter removal of the bottles remains in set-up condition so that theempty bottles may be readily put back into it for return to the bottler.At the same time, after having been so set up and used, it may bereadily collapsed to a fiat condition, after return to the bottler, forstorage in small space I while awaiting re-use.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred forms ofconstruction for carrying the invention into effect, these are capableof variation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise detailsdisclosed, but desire to cover by Letters Patent all such variations andmodifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A knocked-down bottle carrier for packaging a plurality of bottlesstanding upright, combottom do not materially exceed the length andwidth of the contained group of bottles, a number of the filledcontainers may be packed in a case or tray of standard size.

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and10, the openings in the side walls have their lower edges 2 l somewhatdifferently shaped and their upper edges provided with recesses 2? whichare somewhat shallower and wider in form. Also in this modification, thematerial removed from the blank for the formation of the bottlereceiving openings is left joined thereto along the scored or foldline-3| to form a flap 30 which may be folded downwardly against theinner surface of the adjacent side wall as best indicated in Fig. 9. Thefiap 30 is also provided with scored lines 32 along which it may beagain folded to form transverse partitions 33, and the verticalpartitions 26' are provided with notches or recesses33' to receive theends of the partitions 33 as indicated. Otherwise the modified form ofconstruction is practically identical with prising a sheet of paperboard or the like shaped and creased to form a receptacle having abottom on which the bottles may stand and side walls flexibly connectedat their lower ends to opposite side margins of said bottom and providedat their upper ends with a handle whereby the receptacle may be carriedwhen set up with the side walls in upwardly converging relationship, endflaps integrally connected to the lateral margins of the side walls andflexible angularly relative to the side walls to positions over. theends of the bottom, said end flaps being provided with oblique creasessubdividing them into tapering end wall portions and abutment fiapsfoldableto angular relationship to said end wall portions along saidcreases, said side walls being formed with bottle-receiving openingsspaced above their lower ends and below their upper ends and of size toadmit the intended bottles bottom first, said end flaps extending pastthe outer ends of .said openings and forming connections betweenportions of the side walls which are below said openings and portions ofthe side walls which are above said openings and constitutingload-carrying members for sustaining the weight of bottles resting onthe bottom when the set-up receptacle is supported by the handle.

2. A bottle carrier comprising a bottom, and

' side walls forming acute angles with the bottom and joined to form anacute angle at their top, end walls between the side walls and thebottom, said end walls being formed by fiaps projecting fromv eachlateral end of the side walls, the pairs of flaps thus formed havingin-turned portionsin face-contacting relation along the me.- dial planeof the device, apertures in the side walls for the reception of bottles,aligned openings in the joined upper portions of the side walls forminga handle, the lower and upper portions of the side walls adjacent theapertures adapted to yield outwardly and inwardly upon insertion of'abottle. and means joining the contactingpairs of flaps together, saidcarrier being collapsible to substantially fiat condition by folding thebottom along approximately its medial por-' which bottles may beinserted bottoms first to standing position on the bottom, the outennostlateral portions of said apertures extending to the end walls, the endwalls being integrally but flexibly connected with lateral margins ofthe side walls below and above said outermost lateral portions of theapertures, and the side walls being provided at their upper ends with ahandle whereby the carrier and its contents may be supportedpendulously, the sheet being creased to permit the side walls to befolded together and the end walls being foldable inwardly against theinner surfaces of the folded side walls, to collapse the device.

4. A bottle carrier as specified in claim 3 and wherein said in-tumedportions of the end flaps extend throughout the greater portion of theheight of the end walls and serve to stiffen them.

5. A bottle carrier as specified in claim 3 and wherein said 'in-turnedportions of the end flaps extend upwardly and downwardly past theoutermost margins of the bottle'receiving apertures and stiffen thestructure vertically.

6. A bottle carrier comprising the structure specified in claim 3 andwherein the bottle receiving apertures in the side walls extendcontinuously across the side walls from one end wall to the other.

7. A bottle carrier comprising the structure specified'in claim 3 andwherein said in-tumed portions of the end flaps extend inwardly betweenportions of opposite bottle receiving apertures to a distance sufiicientto intervene between adjacent bottles in opposite apertures.

8. A bottle carrier comprising the structure specified in claim 3 andwherein lnturned portions of end flaps which are in face-contactingrelation are connected to each other.

9. A bottle carrier comprising the structure specified in claim 3 andwherein portions of the side walls which are below the bottle receivinapertures are resiliently flexible outwardly by.-

bottles inserted therein and exert resilientpressure inwardly againstbottles standing upright on the bottom and projecting through saidapertures.

WALTON B. CRANE.

